Song Chaoyu, too lazy to speak more with her, stepped forward and asked, "Sister, aren't you going into the Empress's palace yet? It's best not to keep Her Majesty waiting."
Song Yanjiao always felt as if she had punched a soft nail. Not only did she fail to make Song Chaoyu suffer a "loss," but she herself felt extremely upset.
Looking at Song Chaoyu's smiling face at this moment, Song Yanjiao had to force herself to cheer up and, with a smile, walked ahead of Song Chaoyu: "I am your elder sister, and Prince Ning is also slightly older than Prince Chang. Even if I enter the palace first, you have no objections, do you?"
Song Chaoyu moved aside to let Song Yanjiao pass, appearing completely unconcerned.
However, neither of them noticed that the Empress, who was currently drinking tea in the palace, was already watching them.
A palace maid refilled the Empress's tea and then smiled, "Your Majesty, look at these are the daughters of the Song family. Who would have thought they would be so unseemly, one the Princess of Prince Ning and the other the Princess of Prince Chang, bickering at your palace gate."
The Empress asked the palace maid, "Then, between the two of them, who do you prefer?"
The palace maid covered her mouth and chuckled, "Who in the past didn't know that the legitimate daughter of the Song family, now the Princess of Prince Ning, was a top-notch lady in the capital? I've heard so many rumors about her. But looking at her now, she's nothing special. Ever since she married His Highness Prince Ning, she's managed Prince Ning's estate in a complete mess. I heard she even got into a scuffle with one of Prince Ning's concubine maids the other day. It's truly unbecoming."
The Empress nodded and also smiled faintly, "But Prince Ning still gives her face when he's out. I don't know why their marriage, which everyone favored back then, has turned into such a quarrel. One woman after another enters Prince Ning's household, and she can't control them, nor can she control them. Hasn't she become like this shrew? When she sees others living well, she has to poke at them to feel better!"
The palace maid then cast her gaze upon Song Chaoyu, "In the past, everyone in the capital said that the Princess of Prince Chang was born to an outside woman, truly someone who couldn't be brought to the table. How is it that I see now that she has managed Prince Chang's estate in an orderly fashion? Moreover, His Highness Prince Chang is willing to refuse those two side consorts with prominent family backgrounds for her, even displeasing the Emperor. Tell me, is she truly virtuous and dignified, or does she have some other methods to control Prince Chang like this?"
In fact, this was probably something that everyone in the capital couldn't understand.
The Empress narrowed her eyes, "This little girl, don't look at her as an outside woman, she's not simple! She's only entered the palace a few times, and when have you ever seen her make a mistake? Moreover, I heard that she helped His Highness Prince Chang a lot with this disaster relief matter. How can a mere outside woman have such demeanor and insight? It seems we have all underestimated her!"
The palace maid nodded, and after watching Song Chaoyu and Song Yanjiao enter the palace with smiles, she stopped talking about the topic.
—
Even when entering the Empress's palace to pay respects, Song Yanjiao always walked a little ahead of Song Chaoyu, as if to assert that her status was more noble than Song Chaoyu's.
Song Chaoyu never cared about this, letting her awkwardly pay her respects to the Empress and say a whole string of compliments. Only then did Song Chaoyu step forward and respectfully salute the Empress, making her appear more composed and steady.
The Empress nodded and gestured for them to rise.
Then, she ordered new tea to be served, and the Empress looked at Song Yanjiao, "Princess Ning, are you here to request an enfeoffment for Prince Ning's side consort Wu Lingru?"
In fact, it was common for the wives of ordinary court officials to grant them special titles.
However, for the main consort of Prince Ning to come to request a title for Wu Lingru, a side consort of Prince Ning, was something Song Chaoyu had never witnessed.
One could imagine that if it weren't for the great pressure Prince Ning Mu Hansu put on Song Yanjiao, she wouldn't have done this, nor would she have chosen this day when Song Chaoyu was present to request an enfeoffment for Wu Lingru.
Song Yanjiao's lips curved upwards, trying her best to appear more gentle and magnanimous, "Yes, side consort Wu serves by the Prince's side with all her heart. This time she lost her child and her body was injured. The Prince and I are very fond of her, and we think we should do something for her. We have specifically come to ask Her Majesty the Empress to grant her a title, which would also bring honor to our Prince Ning's estate."
The Empress gently tapped the table beside her and frowned at Song Yanjiao, "I received your request for enfeoffment the other day. The reason I haven't given you a reply is that I feel this matter is inappropriate. I didn't expect you to be so anxious that you came to my palace in person. Then I will be direct with you. Since the founding of our dynasty, although there have been instances of side consorts and concubines being granted titles, they were ultimately granted such precious titles because they had made contributions to the court."
The Empress shook her head, "If Wu Shi of Prince Ning's estate is given a title simply for losing a child, wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate? Therefore, I think it's best to let this matter go. You should go back and talk to Prince Ning properly, and give her more rare treasures. Why must you give her a title?"
The Empress's words were not wrong, but Song Yanjiao's expression became a little strained.
This was partly because it was a "command" from Mu Hansu, and partly because, even though she had come in person, the Empress still disagreed, which made her feel embarrassed.
However, Song Yanjiao also knew that since the Empress had said so directly, her request today was unlikely to be granted.
So she looked at Song Chaoyu, who was sitting beside her, "Princess Chang is also here today, perhaps also for the matter of Prince Chang's side consort? What, are you going to beg Her Majesty the Empress to persuade the Emperor not to grant your Prince Chang's estate a side consort? I never expected that after not being in the Song mansion for so many years, you would have forgotten all the rules. Is it that you, Princess Chang, are too delicate to tolerate other side consorts?"
Her words were mocking, but Song Chaoyu was unperturbed.
Song Chaoyu stood up and respectfully saluted the Empress, "Your Majesty, I have come today for two matters. The first matter is to apologize on behalf of our Prince. His Highness was restless a few days ago and was probably very tired upon his return. It was truly wrong of him to contradict His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress regarding the matter of the side consort. I beg Your Majesty not to blame the Prince, but only me for not taking good care of him."
"A smiling face won't hit a frowning person," the Empress naturally would not make things difficult for Song Chaoyu for this, and only asked, "Then what is the second matter?"
Song Chaoyu raised her eyes, her tone becoming more firm, "The second matter is that our Prince Chang's estate will be welcoming two side consorts simultaneously. I ask Your Majesty to make the decision for these two marriages."